After return of its national, US lifts $10 mn bounty on Taliban leaders

The US on Sunday lifted bounty amounting to $10 million on three senior Taliban figures, including the interior minister who also heads a powerful network blamed for bloody attacks against Afghanistan’s former West-backed government.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, who acknowledged planning a January 2008 attack on the Serena Hotel in Kabul, which killed six people, including US citizen Thor David Hesla, no longer appears on the State Department’s Rewards for Justice website.

Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said the US government had revoked the bounties placed on Haqqani, Abdul Aziz Haqqani, and Yahya Haqqani.

The Haqqani network grew into one of the deadliest arms of the Taliban after the US-led 2001 invasion of Afghanistan.

A Foreign Ministry officia said the Taliban’s release of US prisoner George Glezmann on Friday and the removal of bounties showed both sides were “taking constructive steps to pave the way for progress” in ties.

Afghan, Pak delegates meet to mend ties

Officials from Pakistan and Afghanistan held talks in Kabul to improve ties strained due to differences over handling of militancy, transit trade, refugees and other bilateral issues, it emerged on Sunday. Pakistan’s special envoy held talks with Acting Afghan Foreign Minister. The two sides emphasised the importance of holding joint meetings and exchanging delegations to resolve outstanding issues. It was agreed that obstacles to transit routeswere not in the interest of either side.